MRP: 4th October 1667, Letter from Thomas Stanton to Sir GO, London

4th October 1667, Letter from Thomas Stanton to Sir GO, London

BL, MS. XX, XXXX, f. 27

Editorial history

13/12/11, CSG: Created page

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Abstract & context

Captain Thomas Stanton (b. ca. 1624, d. 1691) wrote to Sir George Oxenden from London, reporting his voyage back from Surat. Reaching St. Helena safely in February 1666/67, he had been engaged by shipping from Flushing, suffering some damage. Nevertheless, in early May he had safely reached the Isle of Wight. Stanton expressed hope in his letter to Sir George Oxenden that he might return to Surat.

When he wrote this letter, Captain Stanton was most probably on the Surat to London return voyage in the ship the Return, which had been dispatched by the English East India Company for Surat in March 1665/66. This voyage, together with his engagement with the Dutch or Flemings, was recorded in a monument erected in his parish church of Bungay Suffolk.

Captain Thomas Stanton, formerly commander of the good ship Returne, to and from Surat in East India, who by his indefatigable industry made ye said voyage in twelve months: the like not done by any since. In his returne he fought and beat a Dutch man of war, and brought ye said ship (to his never dying fame) safe into the river Thames." He died at Bungay 30th of April, 1691, aged 67 years.

At the time of writing, the letter writer was about forty-three years of age at the time of writing, just a couple of years younger than Sir George Oxenden. He died at the age of sixty-seven and was buried in the parish of Bungay, Suffolk, describing himself as a gentleman.

Nothing is known of his life between 1667 and his death in 1691. The language of his will suggests pride in this claimed gentlemanly status, requesting that he be:

decently interred in some convenient place wither in Church or Churchyard in Vault or grave with a faier thick marbell stone over me with my name and coate of armes thereon deeply ingraved

His will is more informal than most, and was unwitnessed, suggesting that it was written by him without the aid of a scrivener or lawyer.

He was meticulous in his preparations, giving and bequeathing:

unto those six Gent or Marrin:rs that shall carry my body to be buried to witt to each of them one paire of gloves and a gold ring worth tenn shillings each ?only, and to those Gent my freinds and acquaintance that shall come and be at my funerall and especially to those that hath or may have ticketts under my owne handwriteing wine and gloves to each man, and I give unto that Minister that shall bury me and preach my funerall sermon tenn shillings a paier of gloves and a gold ring worth tenn shillings

In his will he mentioned his wife, Elizabeth Stanton, who survived him, and his only son, Thomas Stanton, who was born ca. 1679. His brother-in-law, Thomas Gray, a London merchant, was married to his surviving sister, Anne. Other beneficiaries included his cousin ffrancis Penny of ?Woladge [?Woolwich] in Kent and a cousin Handa, living in ?Carleton, Suffolk.$

He aspired for his son Thomas to attend "any of the Universaties," allowing him from the age of fifteen an annual stipend of fifty pounds to support his university education.

He had houses and land in Bungay, Suffolk, and in ?Carsham, Norfolk, which he had recently bought.

No post mortem inventory has survived, but Stanton's will lists some of his possessions. These included his coach and coach mares, and "a learge couch, looking glass and small seader table standing in the same chamber,"

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Suggested links

See Bigger alphabet of ships

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To do

(1) Check transcription against physical manuscript at BL

(2) Look at Thomas Stanton will
- PROB 11/405 Vere 93-139 Will of Thomas Stanton, Gentleman of Bungay, Suffolk 10 June 1691

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Transcription

This transcription has been completed, but needs to be checked

[BL, Add. MS. XX, XXXX, f. 27]

London October ye 4th 1667

Right Worshipfull

After my sevurel to yo:w yo:e Counsell & ye rest of my freinds yt are w:th yo:w & r yo:w may please to take notice I got safe to S:t Hellanah ye last of Feb:ry & ye 30:th of Aprill mett w:th a Flushenman of warr yt fought w:th me 2 men & did me som other damage but through mercy we got safe into the Isle of Weight ye 11:th of May but did not dare giff our goods out if ye shipp till this day soe yt I hoope we shall come for suratt againe, w:ch will be much pleasing to me, my sonn ??Moorecroft presents yo:w w:th his services & I hope yo:w will excuse my bouldness in in troubling yo:w w:th these lines, for I was louth to lett soe good an opportunity ?slip without letting yo:w know yt I am & shall ever remaine

Your servant to command
Tho: Stanton

Pray remember me to
Henrye Munge : my
Banyan

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Notes

BL

British Library, Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections: [no title] E/3/87 ff 8v-10 10 Mar 1666
- Contents: Commission and instructions to Captain Thomas Stanton for his voyage to Surat in the Return

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Monument, parish of Bungay, Suffolk

"Captain Thomas Stanton, formerly commander of the good ship Returne, to and from Surat in East India, who by his indefatigable industry made ye said voyage in twelve months: the like not done by any since. In his returne he fought and beat a Dutch man of war, and brought ye said ship (to his never dying fame) safe into the river Thames." He died at Bungay 30th of April, 1691, aged 67 years."

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Possible primary sources

PROB 11/405 Vere 93-139 Will of Thomas Stanton, Gentleman of Bungay, Suffolk 10 June 1691

- This is the correct will